"My Story, My Terms" Writing Workshop with Claire McCue

During Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Women's Justice NOW is offering an opportunity for survivors of gender-based violence to join other survivors in a safe space to learn skills to redefine and reclaim their stories and experiences in the #MeToo era.

This is an opportunity for women 18 years or older that are female–identifying, non-binary, or gender nonconforming to reflect, write, share, and humanize their experiences as survivors of sexual assault, intimate partner sexual violence, sexual harassment, and childhood sexual assault.

The focus of this workshop is to teach survivors to use the "My Story, My Terms" workbook to learn about writing, storytelling, and suggested guidelines for navigating the process of sharing your story with others. "My Story, My Terms" workbook is designed to support individuals who seek to use their writing and voice as a tool for personal, political, or social change.

Each participant will be given a copy of the self-guided workbook entitled, “My Story, My Terms”, which has been developed in collaboration with survivors, advocates, and experts in sexual violence.

You’ll learn: 

*How to reflect, write, and share your experiences as a survivor of sexual violence.

*Why it is important to focus on expressive writing and storytelling.

*Ways to use your writing and voice as a tool for personal, political, or social change.

*How to assess your own safety guidelines for navigating the process of sharing your story with others.

Claire T. McCue is a trauma-informed forensic social worker and doctoral candidate at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She has served as an Adjunct Professor at the Silberman Graduate School of Social Work at Hunter College for eight years where she taught Human Behavior in the Social Environment and mentored Graduate Students entering the field as trauma specialists. Additionally, Claire taught social work and sociology classes with an emphasis on understanding the impact of human-induced violence on individuals at the City University of New York Graduate Center, College of Staten Island, and Wagner College. During her 20+ year career in social work, Claire has worked in direct care, supervisory, and training capacities at social service and legal service organizations, serving survivors of gender-based violence and trauma in New York City. She developed a specialization in providing psychodynamically-oriented treatment for survivors of incest, sexual and physical abuse, and family violence.

Women’s Justice NOW is the proud charitable partner organization to the National Organization for Women NYC Chapter  (NOW-NYC).

The workbook will be mailed to you if registered before April 20. If you register on or after April 20 workbooks will be available for pick up at the library.